Lakshmi Bai, the Rani of Jhansi is little known in the West, undoubtably because the struggle for Indian independence is hardly the most flattering chapter of British history. Although most of us think of the civil disobedience tactics of the Gandhi era, the first major uprising against British rule was quite violent. Indeed, it is called the First War of Indian Freedom within India, but the British referred to it rather derisively as the Sepoy Revolt or the Mutiny of 1857. Up until this conflict, British interests in India were managed by the East India Company and it's army, many of whom were native mercenaries. The Governor-General Dalhousie had an unpopular policy of annexing Indian states whose rulers had died leaving no male heir. The Raja of Jhansi had died leaving his young widow Lakshmi Bai and their adopted son, his wish being that Lakshmi should rule until the boy came of age. Dalhousie, however decided that even though the arrangement was legal by local custom, it was not binding by British law. Lakshmi, desiring to keep peaceful relations with the British even took her claim to court in London but it was dismissed. She would have probably drifted into obscurity at this point had not Company troops in several cities decided to revolt. When a Bengali unit stationed in Jhansi took up arms, Lakshmi found herself thrown into the role of freedom fighter. By all accounts, the Rani fought valiantly during the short rebellion but was gunned down in a hail of British bullets, securing her a place as martyr. The outcome of the war was the replacement of the East India Company by direct government control and the removal of the Mughal emperor, the last great native power in India.